Open Your Eyes
by Live with the Music
Summary: Imagine believing one thing for your entire life, then learning that it all was a lie. Imagine growing up with a man you call father and then finding out he's a murderer. Imagine having your entire world turned upside down in days. Imagine being Zoë.
1. Fire

A/N: I had this idea running around in my head for a while but I finally caught it floating up there in my brain during a car ride. I came up with a basic plot and some characters. I'm not sure if this is the best start to this story but it's the one I could come up with. So please, read and review! (by the way, I'm really sorry for any OOCs, I know I hate that when I'm reading… Oh, and I did my best with the editing but I tend to miss a lot of mistakes.)

Fire

It was everywhere, the flames lashing out, swallowing everything in sight. They licked at people's heels and consumed some whole. Houses were burning, people were screaming and orcs were cackling madly. The town of Denneth nestled in the far corner of the Mirkwood Forest was completely covered in orange flames, but no one could see and even if they could, no one would help.

It was a dark time for the people of Middle Earth. The Shadows had consumed most of Mirkwood Forest and those who dared to fight back were silenced indefinitely. The flames were everywhere those days; Denneth was not the only town to be taken by the heat.

Orcs and trolls were everywhere, running in front of the fire, pillaging houses, taking the valuables and leaving everything else for the fire. Nothing was to be left untouched, unharmed; everything was to be turned over and destroyed.

When it was over, not a single elf was in sight. Orcs were everywhere, laughing and picking through the remains of the ruins. Houses were burnt black, bodies were everywhere, faces indistinguishable, any outsider looking upon the mess of a town would have just seen a smoking lump.

"Hey, come over here!" A particularly ugly orc with a crooked nose and a wart the size of a golf ball on his chin yelled to his friend.

The other walked over and grunted, "What?"

The disfigured orc lifted up a plank of wood from a once standing house. Underneath, there was a small child, barely 3 months old, shivering and squinting from the sudden light.

The second orc lifted his sword, preparing to stab it and end the child's life.

"Wait." The first one placed a green hand on the other's shoulder. He took a closer look at the elfing and realized she was quite pretty, as far as babies go. She had jet black hair and tiny dimples as she gurgled a small tune. The orc felt something stir in him as he envisioned the child with a bleeding wound in its stomach. Something akin to pity. "Let's take it back to Saruman."

The other orc shrugged and seeing as the child did not pose much of a threat, he let the matter be and walked away. The pair didn't realize it but at exactly the same moment in time, a small hobbit named Bilbo had just felt the same sense of pity and chose to spare one that was just as helpless as this baby, Gollum. And these two creatures, the elfling and Gollum, would soon, alter the fate of Middle Earth.


	2. Goodbye

A/N: I couldn't wait... I needed to post this. I'm playing with time a little in this story, as you can see, Bilbo only had the ring for a decade or so before he gave it to Frodo but either than that, I'll try and do my best to stay on track. Sorry if the facts are a little bit inconsistent but I've only watched the movies and am slowly making my way through the books. Please read and review!

Goodbye

_Nineteen Years Later_

She looked out the window of the long black spiralling tower she had come to know so well. Her insides writhed with anxiety. Today was the day, today was the day her father would finally let her go out and see the world. She knew she was ready; she had been preparing for this her entire life. She was the best warrior in all of Isengard, lethal with a sword and prepared to shoot down anyone she needed to with a bow.

A slight breeze caught her through the window and caused her hair to fly into her face. She brushed it back and in the process, accidentally touched the point at the tip of her ear. Her pointed ears were the only sign of her elvish heritage and she hated them. She hated anything that differentiated herself from her father, making it obvious she was adopted. Besides, the elves didn't want her anyways. Her father had told her how he had found her lying on the side of the road on one of his many travels. He had taken her in and raised her as his own child and as far as she was concerned, she had no relationship to the elves whatsoever.

"Zoë." A distant voice floated down from the room above her. She could not see the face but knew that voice as well as the back of her hand. She had grown up with that voice teaching her, lecturing her, and loving her for nineteen years.

She took a deep breath and slowly climbing the old wooden ladder that led up to her father's study. As she entered the room, her eyes took in the familiar sight. Books were littered everywhere and her steps echoed off the cold stone floor. Some would say that the atmosphere was cold and unwelcoming but to her, it was home.

By a large window stood an old man, dressed in white robes, watching the eagles fly outside. His expression was thoughtful and mild. "Zoë, come in, sit down."

She obeyed, seating herself on a wooden chair in front of her father's desk. "Zoë," he began. She fidgeted nervously in her seat. "You and I both know why you're here." A contradiction formed on her lips but he cut her off, "You wish to be allowed to leave Isengard. You want me to give you a quest so you can go off and explore the world."

"Father...I"

"Do not lie to me Laisidhiel."

She winced at the use of her elvish name. She debated arguing with her father but in the end, stayed silent, her father was always right.

"You are my best fighter Zoë. You are capable of slaying dragons, dwarves and anything else that comes in your way."

A faint glimmer of hope appeared as Zoë listened to her father's praise.

"But you are also my daughter."

It disappeared.

"Nevertheless, I do have something I need done. I cannot send an orc to do it, they are too clueless and their footsteps sound like elephants trampling through a forest. They will be spotted instantly."

"Wait, so you want me to do it?" Zoë asked astonished. She never imagined that her father would actually allow her to leave on her own.

"Do not disappoint me."

"I promise I won't father. What must I do?" Zoë was breathless in anticipation.

"I have told you of the weapon of great destruction, the One Ring." Zoë had heard this story many times. A long time ago, her father's master Sauron had the ring. He used it to keep peace in the world but many disliked him and stood against him. This resulted in many bloody wars and killings, until Sauron finally had the ring stolen from him. The fool who had stolen the ring got killed by those who wished to avenge Sauron, and the ring was lost for centuries.

"Yes father, I have heard this story before."

"You have not heard this part. We have found the One Ring, but the enemy has it." Fear flooded Zoë's stomach; she had heard from her father that if the Ring fell in the wrong hands, the entire world could be destroyed.

"It is in the hands of four hobbits, two men, a dwarf and an elf." Saruman continued. "If given enough time, they will destroy all of Middle Earth with the Ring. You must go and bring it here. Do not fail me Zoë, the fate of our home rests in your hands."

Zoë took a deep breath. She had never expected or would have asked for a quest this big. She did not want to be responsible for the fate of the world, she was almost certain she would fail.

Saruman paid no attention to his young adoptive daughter and walked over to his bookshelf. He selected a map book from the many volumes of text that were scattered on the floors and on the shelves. Opening it up, he flipped until he had found the page he desired and gestured to Zoë.

"This is where you must go." Zoë followed his finger and saw he was pointing to the Lotharian Forest. "They are currently somewhere around here. Go, find them and come back with the Ring."

At this, Saruman turned his back on the young girl, walked over to the window and seemed to fall into a trance of deep thought.

Zoë took this as a signal to leave and slowly backed out of the room and down the stairs, the map clutched tightly in her hand. She proceeded down the hallway and to her own room where she flung the map on the floor and walked to the mirror.

She looked at her own reflection, this morning she had seen a confident young elf, determined to do whatever it was Saruman had asked of her and make her father proud. Now she saw a scared little girl, facing a task that was much too big for her.

But too big or not, she had to at least try. Her father was counting on her and that was all that mattered. She sighed and grabbed the small rucksack she had packed that morning.

She set out and walked down the path to the exit to Isenguard. As she was about to cross the boundary, she turned back and took one look at the tall black spiralling tower that she had come to call home.


End file.
